When I am president of the world, I am going to shake up the food pyramid and make Italian a food group. While I love just about everything about Italian food from the olive oil and bread, to the pasta, cheese, and wine, I do not love what it can do to my waist line.

I’m pretty sure it was The Candid RD, who finally convinced me to try spaghetti squash as a substitution for pasta. I have to confess it is quite fabulous, in fact, on my first attempt I ate the entire thing in one sitting. Thank goodness spaghetti squash only has 42 calories per cup!

Besides being low in calories, here’s what else I love about spaghetti squash:

• It’s filling (yes, I know I ate the entire squash on the first try, but I enjoyed a more appropriate serving size last night so I can confirm that this really is a true statement)
• It is included in Dr. Jonny Bowden’s book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (a book I highly recommend and refer to frequently)
• It earned a NuVal score of 93!
• It’s easy to make and quite versatile

Here’s how I prepare Amore Faux-Pasta Squash:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Bake cut-side down for 45 minutes then turn and bake until the skin is tender. Use a fork to release spaghetti-like strands and place them in a bowl. Season the squash to taste.

There are probably a million ways you can season your spaghetti squash. Here are 4 ideas:

• Olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, spinach, roma tomatoes
• Marinara sauce and roasted vegetables
• Carrie told me she mixes spaghetti squash with marinara and cheese and bakes it…I did this last night and it was tasty!
• Salt and pepper (clever, eh?)

Speaking of seasons, spaghetti squash just happens to be in season, so it should be easy to find in the produce aisle.

Now I really must go work on my campaign to become president of the world and make some more lean-guini. Ciao!